Device for directly mounting an equipment, in particular a heat exchanger, on a motor vehicle structural element

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a device wherein the equipment and the support formed by the motor vehicle structural element are assembled in at least one point by to matching co-operating element. The equipment co-operating element is elastically deformable for being spaced from or brought close to the support, to enable direct interlocking at said point for mounting with means for cushioning the equipment on the support. The equipment is in particular a heat exchanger comprising an array of tubes assembled at each of their opposite ends by a collector plate closed by a fluid box, the equipment co-operating element being then a structural part of the fluid box.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the mounting of motor vehicle equipment on apart of this vehicle.

In particular, it relates to the mounting of heat exchangers, forexample the radiator of the cooling circuit of the engine, or inaddition the radiator for heating the passenger compartment or thecondenser of the air-conditioning circuit.

It applies in particular—but in a non-restrictive manner—to the mountingof these items of equipment on a front face of a vehicle, in particularproduced in the form of a single-unit module provided with various itemsof equipment, prepared and provided by the supplier, ready to be mountedon the vehicle by the manufacturer.

Until present, the heat exchanger has been fixed to the structuralelement of the vehicle by means of metal springs fixed at the upperregion of the structural element, on the one hand, and elasticcushioning blocks in the lower portion, on the other hand.

The springs enable the various dimensional tolerances to be accommodatedand allows the mounting of different types of radiators by virtue oftheir flexibility. With respect to the blocks, they ensure thecushioning and centering on the support.

However, this mounting technique requires the positioning of mountedelements (springs and fixing pins) implying a additional cost by virtueof the necessity of providing supplementary parts and the time requiredfor mounting them in the assembly process.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One of the objects of the invention is to remove this difficulty, byproposing a new mounting configuration that allows the number of partsnecessary for assembly to be reduced, rapid mounting to be ensured andadequate flexibility to be retained in order to accept several types ofdifferent items of equipment.

For this purpose, the invention proposes a device for mounting an itemof equipment for a motor vehicle on a structural element of said motorvehicle, which forms the support for this item of equipment, in whichthe item of equipment and the support are joined at one point at leastby two matching cooperating elements, and in which the cooperatingelement of the item of equipment is elastically deformable as it ismoved away from or brought closer to the support, to enable, by directinterlocking at the said point, mounting with the cushioning of the itemof equipment on the support.

The item of equipment may in particular be a heat exchanger comprisingan array of tubes assembled at each of their opposite ends by acollector plate closed by a fluid tank, the cooperating element of theequipment then being a structural part of the fluid tank.

In particular, the fluid tank may be formed so as to have a recessturned towards the support and cooperating with a matching finger borneby said support and received by the recess, or vice versa, so as to havea stud turned towards the support and cooperating with a matchingaperture formed on said support and receiving the stud.

The recess or the stud of the fluid tank may be situated at the site ofa counter-curve formed either at the ends, or at the top of the fluidtank.

This counter-curve is advantageously adjacent to a main curve, so as toform a curve inversion. This main curve may comprise at least one arcthat comes to join the counter-curve.

The invention very advantageously applies to the case in which thestructural element of the vehicle is a front module.

From another viewpoint, the invention relates to a structural element ofa motor vehicle, comprising a mounting device as defined above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Other characteristics of the invention will become apparent from thedescription of an example below, made by reference to the attacheddrawings.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the mounting device of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the mounting device of theinvention.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate two possible configurations for mounting avehicle heat exchanger, one vertical and the other horizontal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

On the figures, the reference 10 generally designates a heat exchangerfor a motor vehicle, for example (but in a non-restrictive manner) aradiator for cooling the engine. Such an exchanger is formed by an arrayof tubes 12 performing the heat exchange with the exterior atmosphere.The tubes of the array are joined on either side by two end blocks thatdefine the direction of the circulation of the liquid in the tubes andenable the liquid to be introduced into the exchanger and to be removedtherefrom.

Each of the end blocks comprises a collector plate into which the tubesof the array open and with which a bonnet or “fluid tank” is associated,which is tightly connected, or collector so as to form a common volumein fluid communication with the tubes of the array.

The invention proposes incorporating the fixing and cushioning functionsformerly reserved for springs and studs mounted on the structuralelement supporting the radiator, in the fluid tank of the radiator.

For this purpose, at its ends the fluid tank 14 comprises regions 16configured in the manner that is illustrated in further detail in FIG. 1or FIG. 2.

In the case of a radiator having horizontal tubes and vertical fluidtanks (FIG. 3), the regions 16 are situated at the end of each of thefluid tanks 14. In contrast, in the case of a configuration withvertical tubes and horizontal fluid tanks (FIG. 4), the regions 16 areno longer situated at the end of each fluid tank, but at the top of theend regions thereof (on FIGS. 3 and 4 the arrows indicate the attachmentpoints to the structural element of the vehicle).

The mounting configuration according to the invention may take eitherone of the forms illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, it being possible tocombine these two forms of mounting, for example that in the upper partof FIG. 1 and that in the lower part of FIG. 2, or vice versa.

In the case of FIG. 1, the region 16 of the radiator tank is formed soas to have an inverted curve, with a main curve 18 and a counter-curve20, so as to give it a so-called “lyre” shape, structurally having itsown elasticity. The main curve 18 comprises two arcs of a curve 18 a and18 b on either side of the counter-curve 20. The counter-curve 20 formsa recess 22 receiving a matching finger 24 integral with a supportelement 26 for the front face support.

In the implementation of FIG. 2, the counter-curve 20 of the lyre bearsa stud 28 intended to engage in a matching aperture of an element 32 ofthe front support.

Both in the case of FIG. 1 and that of FIG. 2, it may be specified thatthe main curve 18 only has a single arc of a curve 18 a or 18 b whichcomes to join the counter-curve 20.

As can be easily noted, in one or the other case, the particularconfiguration of the lyre formed on the fluid tank of the radiator, withthe recess 20 or the stud 28, enables very easy mounting by simpleclipping onto the front support, with immediate centering of theradiator on the support and whilst retaining the desired cushioning byvirtue of the elasticity of the lyre 18.

What is claimed is:
 1. A single-unit module adapted for mounting on amotor vehicle comprising: a structural element; and an item of equipmentcomprising a lyre-shaped exterior surface configured to physicallycontact the structural element at a point, and to be elasticallydeformable in at least a region of the point and to provide cushioningwith respect to the structural element and a recess and wherein thestructural element is adapted to engage and bear against the recess. 2.The module according to claim 1 wherein the item of equipment is a hearexchanger comprising an array of tubes joined at each of their oppositeends by a collector plate closed by a fluid tank.
 3. The moduleaccording to claim 2, wherein the recess is situated at a site of acounter-curve formed at the ends of the fluid tank.
 4. The moduleaccording to claim 3, wherein the counter-curve is adjacent to a maincurve so as to form a curve inversion.
 5. The module according to claim4, wherein the main curve comprises at least one arc which comes to jointhe counter-curve.
 6. The module according to claim 2, wherein therecess is situated at a site of a counter-curve formed at a top of thefluid tank.
 7. The module according to claim 6, wherein thecounter-curve is adjacent to a main curve so as to form a curveinversion.
 8. The module according to claim 1, wherein the structuralelement of the vehicle is a front module.
 9. The module of claim 1,wherein the item of equipment is clipped onto the structural element toprovide both centering and cushioning of the item with respect to thestructural element.
 10. The module of claim 1, wherein the recess isstructurally shaped to provide elasticity.
 11. A single-unit moduleadapted for mounting on a motor vehicle comprising: a structural elementcomprising a support element extending in a direction and an integrallyformed finger extending roughly perpendicular to the direction from anend of the support element; and an item of equipment having alyre-shaped exterior surface configured to physically contact thestructural element at a point, and to be elastically deformable in atleast a region of the paint and to provide cushioning with respect tothe structural element, wherein the item of equipment comprises aradiator having an array of tubes and a plurality of fluid tanks, aregion of one of the tanks formed with a pair of arcs and a countercurve disposed between the arcs, and wherein the integrally fannedfinger is in direct interlock with the counter curve of the radiator.